Maintenance work by RG&E in Mendon triggered dozens of worried 911 calls Tuesday morning from people throughout large parts of Monroe County who smelled the odor of natural gas.

Rochester Gas and Electric Corp. confirmed there had been a planned release of natural gas but said no one was at risk.

"There is no threat or harm to the public," RG&E spokeswoman Juanita Washington said.

Monroe County's 911 center had received 104 calls about the odors as of 11 a.m., according to county spokesman Brett Walsh, and calls apparently continued after that.

Social media posts suggested the first 911 calls came beginning about 9 a.m. from Mendon, Pittsford, Henrietta and southern Rochester. The University of Rochester reported the odor, among others.

By 10:45 a.m., the same plume of natural gas triggered more 911 calls from Chili, Gates and Greece. Some reports came from as far as 15 miles from the source in Mendon.

"They think it’s all the same plume, one large concentrated mass," said Walsh after checking with county emergency managers. "It just kind of meandered up."

Washington said the natural-gas release was intentional and the county 911 center had been notified in advance.

Walsh said the 911 center was indeed notified, though the result turned out to be more widespread than expected.

"It’s relatively common that they would notify us. Typically it (the release) is very small. The 911 director said they normally get two or three calls," Walsh said. "Whatever they did is much larger than it normally is. When you get 104 calls, it’s a whole different ballgame."

Natural gas was released Tuesday morning as RG&E worked at a natural gas gate station near Canfield Road and the New York State Thruway in Mendon near the Pittsford town line, Washington said.

Winds were from the south and southeast Tuesday morning, which would have pushed the gas toward Pittsford, Henrietta, Rochester, Gates and Greece.

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